Messy Lessons
by free elf 25
Summary: Kayla Smith was 23, and totally sorted. Completely and utterly. That's if you disregard the first years on brooms, her best friend sneaking around and her awkward ex becoming her new colleague at her dream job. [A Next Gen story of teachers, house elves and fire-breathing Christmas presents]
1. Big Red Dragon

"Impressive," Headmaster Longbottom smiled, dropping the résumé on to the table. Kayla smiled back tightly. "You've got high qualifications in the subjects we need you for, and you're actually qualified to teach. You're a rare gem Miss Smith, but are you sure you want to teach?"

Kayla almost laughed at that. Neville had been her teacher when she was school, and the stress of the years showed in the lines etched in his skin and the greys consuming his hair. Despite that, she could still remember her fifth year when he called her into his office and asked her the all-important question- "what do you want to do when you're older?"

Fifteen-year-old Kayla looked at the leaflets set out on the table, glossy images showing smiling Healers and racing Quidditch stars and drab Ministry workers and intimidating Aurors, and smiled. "A teacher. Like you, but no plants."

He'd laughed, reciting the numerous incidents she'd caused in his class over the years. Back then he'd handed her some other leaflets and told her to think about it, that she was full of potential and was it really worth it? But to her it was all she'd ever wanted.

"Of course I'm sure Prof...Neville," she commended at his playful glare. "It's all I've ever wanted to do, pass on knowledge, pave the road to others people's success."

With a mutter that sounded a lot like 'such a Hufflepuff', Neville began rooting through his desk for some paperwork. "Fill these in and post them back as soon as you can. Chances are you've got the job, but I have to see the rest of the offers and discuss it anyway. You'll receive a letter by August."

"Thanks Prof," she smiled, taking the work and a handful of floo powder. Just before the flames rose around her, Neville's door opened and a tall man appeared, inquiring about next years lesson plan.

Kayla gasped, dropping the powder before their eyes could meet.

_Shit._

* * *

><p>It wasn't like Kayla hadn't expected to see him there. She knew he worked there now, she was his cousin's room mate for Merlin's sake! But knowing and witnessing are two completely different things.<p>

When she landed back in her apartment, Lucy was waiting patiently on the couch. One look at her face and she sighed a 'you saw him', her voice telling her it was a statement rather than a question. Soon after she was ushered on to the couch beside her and forced to hand over the paperwork she'd been clinging on to since it was handed to her.

It wasn't just the fact that he was Lucy's cousin that she knew him, because that wouldn't explain the seriousness of the situation. Sure, that was how they met, but that wasn't how it ended. She was seventeen and still in Hogwarts, and he was twenty-one and a Quidditch superstar. They met when she came over to the Burrow with Lucy at Christmas in their seventh year, and somehow his playboy charms worked on her and she woke up satisfied but embarrassed beyond hope.

That was meant to be it, but then it was summer and she was eighteen and they were playing quidditch and she beat him to the snitch and then there was an hour in the broom shed and when they re-emerged they were dating. And it was pretty awesome.

Until she was nineteen, and he was 5 months off twenty-three, and he told her that she didn't understand and she said maybe he should find someone that did and he left, slamming the door behind him. Kayla swore to Lucy the next day that the moment the door slammed was the moment her heart shattered.

Then she was still nineteen, and he was twenty-three and broken, and the magazines were glossy with his name and the tragedy that had struck, gruesome pictures burnt into her mind. He was forced to leave the glamour of Quidditch stardom behind, his skills never matching up to what they were even after he was healed. Instead he talked to an old friend and got a job as a TA at Hogwarts, and his story kept on writing itself.

Finally, she was twenty-one, and he was twenty-five, and it was a reunion for Christmas, and he saw her across the room. She saw him too, and smiled, that hope still blazing in her heart. And then he turned away, and the candle flickered out. Lucy reminded her that her cousin had always been a cunt, would love and drop faster than your mind could process, his heart healing so fast you'd wonder if he even had one in the first place. Either way, Kayla did have one, and it was well and truly broken, and for two years she declined every Weasley invitation that he might accept. Which was all of them.

Only now she was twenty-three, and he was twenty-seven, and he was a proper teacher at Hogwarts, and she was the most likely candidate for their open space. And no amount of time or preparation could really prepare Kayla for seeing him again.

* * *

><p>James Potter hated kids.<p>

It wasn't exactly a well-hidden fact. He'd requested for first and second years to be removed from his timetable since his first year, and still to no avail. There was just something so icky about them, with their high voices and big egos and stupid hair. All of that changed once they hit third year or so, when they finally got to grips and realised that they were all douchebags, but for their first couple of years he just couldn't handle them.

It's not like he didn't try. He'd loved looking after Albus and Lily when they were younger, being someone that they looked up to and admired, but then he lost his dream career because a stupid broomstick went through his limbs and he was forced to work with snot nosed kids for the rest of his life. At first it was awesome, the enthusiasm and energy bringing back memories long forgotten. But then he began to tell the devoted kids to the twats, and the annoyingly unequal ratio began to chip away at his positivity faster than Lily at a block of chocolate.

So when he received his timetable for his fourth year of teaching and saw the scattered lessons with the younger children, he'd had enough, and marched straight up to Neville's office.

"Neville? About this timetable."

He was about to continue when he saw someone floo out of the room. He only caught a brief glimpse, but the curly brown hair and wide green eyes were unmistakeable.

"James? The timetable?" Neville prompted.

"Yeah, yeah...who was that?" he asked, his mouth suddenly dry. It felt like he'd just seen a ghost, and he knew he probably looked like one had just taken a stroll right through him.

"Your ex-girlfriend. She applied for the job. Timetable?" Neville replied nonchalantly. He was always cool about those sorts of things, brushing things over to make them seem unimportant. It's probably the only reason he'd survived so long as Headmaster after Minerva handed him the reigns.

His original reasons for coming here flashed back to him, and he took control. "I refuse to take these lessons. They never end well and you know it," James jabbed at the slots with 1st or 2nd years scrawled underneath, forcing Neville to remember the bad endings in the past. One time he caused three first years to get broken arms in their first quidditch lesson because he 'pushed them too hard', while last year he swore in front of another group of newbies and received a total of 14 howlers from pissed off parents.

"We need you to take them James. You can't just decide to not take them just because you don't like little kids! If there was another teacher who could take them, I'd change it instantly, but there's no other teachers qualified to teach quidditch, and Professor Locke is already taking on too many classes. He can't handle a bunch of squabbling first years asking if vampires are more like Twilight or Supernatural!"

With a sigh, James saw that his battle was lost. At least until he spied the résumé sitting on the top of Neville's desk.

"Aha! Look! She's qualified! Make her do it!" he shouted gleefully, thrusting Kayla's form into his face. It was a pretty impressive résumé, especially for someone so young, but he didn't think about that. It only made him think about how much she'd accomplished since he'd left, and how it was stupid he was even thinking about that because he was totally moved on and dwelling on the past would only bring up ghosts which is pointless because Hogwarts already has way too many to handle-

"We'll see," Neville sighed. "I'll already be asking her to do so much. Muggle studies, care of magical creatures, arithmancy, potions. She's going to be all over the place."

James hummed in response. Over the years the student population had grown, making it impossible to just have one teacher for every lesson. Instead they were handed out all over the place. Some teachers specified in only one or two subjects, while others had to take up any spaces where people couldn't make it. James himself was lucky to just have Quidditch and DADA, with an occasional Transfiguration thrown in for when Lisa Crowley couldn't make it.

"I'm sure she'll be able to handle it," he smiled faintly, leaving the office with a hurried excuse. By Neville's tone, he had already settled on Kayla being their newest addition, which gave him less than two months to prepare himself for seeing her again.

After all, break-ups can be supremely messy, especially when you never bothered to clean up in the first place.

* * *

><p>It was the 2nd of August, and an owl had arrived.<p>

Kayla could tell these from underneath the safety of her duvet, hearing Lucy's shrieks as the bird flapped around their kitchen.

"Kayla! KAYLA! I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU'RE NOT HERE AND HELPING ME IN THE NEXT THREE SECONDS I'LL BEAT YOU TO DEATH WITH MY-"

She sighed, the rustling of her sheets drowning out exactly what Lucy planned to beat her to death with. "Missy! Here girl!" She clicked her tongue, the owl settling immediately on her shoulder. On the other side of the small island in their kitchen was a very dishevelled Lucy wielding a wooden spoon.

"If your owl tries to kill me one more time-"

"Maybe if you weren't so threatening she wo-"

"I'm threatening? SHE FLEW AT ME WITH CLAWS EXTENDED!"

"Did you offer her food like I told you to?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't have time to get to the fridge before my FUCKING EYES WERE CLAWED OUT!"

Kayla and Missy shared a look, the former offering her owl a grape from the island in return for her letter. Missy accepted it gratefully, gliding out of the window with a final glare towards Lucy.

"Your owl wants me dead, and what do you do? Feed it my grapes. Good friend you are."

Kayla smiled at Lucy's antics, flicking through her mail. A magazine, some offers, another bill-

"What? Kayla? What is it?"

She gulped down the lump in the throat, her fingers brushing against the wax across the back, a shield pressed deep into it. "It's from Hogwarts," she breathed. Lucy leant forward to catch her words, and began squealing as soon as they reached her.

"Open it! Openitopenitopenit!" she kept on squealing, pushing them both over to the sofa. Their rented flat was originally a floor to a large and grand house, but had been altered into a maze of small flats for the owners to get some more money. This meant that their fireplace, though kinda old and gross, was fully operational, and even had room for a TV above it, a TV which Lucy impatiently muted while Kayla skimmed through the letter.

"Well? What does it say?"

Kayla looked up at her best friend, tears glazing over her eyes. "I got it," she whispered. "I fucking got it!"

Lucy shrieked, enveloping her in a gigantic hug while babbling about all the letters they'd have to send and the bad-ass party they were going to throw in honour of her dream job. Despite the euphoria in her stomach and the warmth in her heart as Lucy kept on talking, she couldn't help but feel like this was all a little bitter sweet. Like these letter was one of those awkward red button deals. _You get your dream job, but you have to work alongside your heartless ex-boyfriend the whole time._

Before she could delve any deeper into misery, Lucy pulled back and grinned manically at her. "Get dressed."

"What? Why? I haven't even eaten ye-"

"No time. We'll get food while we're out." Lucy leaned in like she was about to reveal top secret plans, her nose practically pressed against Kayla's. "We're going shopping."

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Note<em>**

_And here it is! I've been writing this for a while and realised last night that I now only have two chapters to write until I've finished it, so I decided to start posting. This also means updates for colours will hopefully kickstart again. I started writing this a while back so sorry if it's iffy in some parts. It's 10 chapters and 30,000 words-ish at the moment, and like all my stories, it moves pretty fast. Please read and review, like always! :)_

**Chapter title = Big Red Dragon by Little Green Cars**


	2. History

Here was the day. Hogwarts staff were to return to the school a day before the students, giving them time to settle in and prepare for the new year. Since there was no red train waiting for her at platform 9 3/4, Kayla hugged Lucy goodbye and apparated into Hogsmeade, where Neville had promised to send someone to help her take her stuff back up to the castle.

It was kinda daunting, going back to school. Kayla would have her own office with a ready to be installed floo system and a room to act as a bedroom if needed, but since she hadn't officially moved in the floo system wasn't activated. Even with the option to go back to her apartment every night, it still felt like she was signing up for the whole term, just like when she was student.

With still no one in sight along the cobbled streets of Hogsmeade, Kayla began walking up to the castle herself. After all, she had been a Gryffindor- she's not going to sit around in the cold and wait for some sod to show up when they finally remember.

Half an hour later and she back at the gates which enclosed the place where she'd grown up. Where she'd met Lucy and cast spells and blew up cauldrons and won matches and fell in love and fell apart. Where she'd dreamed of returning to, grown up and ready to witness it happen all over again.

Footsteps pounded across the pebbles behind her. Kayla turned, managing to bite her lip in time to avoid the audible gasp. James Potter was bent over a few metres away, panting heavily.

"You couldn't...have waited...five minutes?" he said between gasps. His voice was gravelly, and his hazel eyes refused to meet hers. Instead of letting the coldness in her gut ice her over, she focused on the racing of her heartbeat and straightened up.

"I waited ten minutes. Not my fault I don't tolerate tardiness."

James grinned to himself, finally catching his breath. "You're going to do wonderfully here." With a flick of his wand, the gates opened, and he picked up one of her bags which she'd dropped on the floor. "You coming?"

He was already metres away when she began walking, trying to ignore the messy curl to his hair or his visible shoulder blades through the t-shirt he'd thrown on. Her trunk caught on something, almost making her fall over. "Trust him to choose the lighter one," she hissed, instantly feeling better.

After all, she was a teacher now. It was much better to leave the romance issues to the teenagers.

* * *

><p>James left her bag in the foyer and disappeared before she arrived. Not that she minded. It was better that way. No awkward conversations.<p>

Instead she allowed herself to breathe in the familiar scent of home, letting her fingers trail along the walls as she followed Neville's instructions to her office. On the way a few paintings noticed her, and Nearly Headless Nick tipped his head off to her with a smile. She grinned back, feeling the warmth spread through her. It was slightly embarrassing how much she'd missed this place, but not as much as she'd memorised it.

As soon as her bags where in her office, and she'd figured out her timetable properly, she set up the floo system. Lucy's head appeared a few minutes later, cheering happily. "Fourth time lucky, eh?"

Still laughing, Kayla recounted her encounter with James, smiling as Lucy sighed and muttered in all the right places. "It's good though, right? Means things are going to be totally normal between us."

Lucy's burning face raised an eyebrow. "Sure, I guess. If that's really what you want."

Kayla thought about the year they'd been together. It had been amazing, there was no denying. Sure, they fought and messed up, but it didn't make her any less convinced that he was the one. But she had been young, and stupid, and now here was her dream handed to her on a golden platter. Was she really going to let that all go to pursue a burnt out flame?

"Yeah. It's been what? Three years? Four years? We're both adults now, and we're both totally over it."

Lucy raised her eyebrow again and agreed sarcastically, wishing her luck before disappearing again. She was working the night shift at a restaurant on Diagon Alley to help pay for her education funds- she was planning on upping her assistant Healer qualifications to a full-fledged emergency Healer, dealing with the top priority patients.

A smile still tainted on her lips, Kayla laid out her clothes for tomorrow night's welcoming ceremony and began ordering her supplies into which needed to go where. By the time she was done, it was nearly midnight, and dinner was well and truly finished. A hoodie over her shorts and vest and her wand lit in her hand, she began to make her way down to her number 1 place in all of Hogwarts; the kitchens.

"Miss Kayla?" a small voice squeaked from knee height. The name travelled until the majority of the house elf population was gathered around her, squeaking her name like it was a pray.

"Hi guys! Long time no see!" she grinned, bending down and catching as many as she could into a big hug. Throughout the seven years here, the kitchens and its inhabitants had been her only constant. Friends left and boyfriends broke her heart and tests numbed her brain, but these guys were always here with a plate of pie at the ready. When her and Lucy finally became close friends in fourth year, this was the place where agreed upon their friendship. After all, Kayla refused to take anyone else down to the kitchens with her until Lucy, always worried about their reaction.

"What are you doing here Miss Kayla?" Minky asked from the front of the group. The rest of them stilled, waiting patiently for an answer.

"I'm a teacher now," she grinned, "so you guys are gonna be stuck with me for a hell of a lot longer!"

Back when she was younger, a plate of good food fixed everything. A bad grade. A broken heart. A stabbed back. Right now it dashed away all of her nerves as she listened to the elves recount their stories from the years she'd missed, telling them in thrilling, over-exaggerated detail. It was a nice thought that even after she'd left this school, maybe there would still be one story of her floating around, waiting to be recounted to another student years from now.

* * *

><p>The students would be arriving at around 7, so Neville called all the teachers into the hall at 6pm. Kayla, as a muggleborn, resented the traditional wizarding robes, and had managed to convince Neville to allow her to wear normal clothes on one condition- she had to wear the cape. Which was fine, once she got over running around the apartment singing 'NANANANANANANANABATMAN!" So, while the rest of the teachers looked like twenty decades ago, she stood in ankle boots, thin tights, a black skirt and a short, long sleeve tartan top tucked in.<p>

"So, Professor Locke will bring the first years in, they'll be sorted, I'll make a few announcements including the introduction of our newest member. That's you Kayla." She nodded enthusiastically at his words, her hands wringing in nerves. "Then we'll eat, and everyone will go to bed. Teachers aren't required to eat in the hall at any other time other than the sorting, though it would be appreciated. Good to go?"

With Professor Locke and two other teachers hurrying down to collect the students, Kayla made her way up to the large table at the end of the hall. It was weird, seeing everything from such a different perspective. Usually she sat at the Gryffindor table, where everything surrounded you like a bubble, but up there it seemed so...insignificant. It was just plain weird.

"Strange, isn't it?"

With a jump, Kayla looked up to see Professor Quinn, the Ancient Runes and other Muggle Studies teacher. She was in her early thirties with black bangs, eyeliner, and a silver band on her ring finger.

"Yeah. Keep on wanting to sit over there instead of way up here."

Quinn smiled, offering her a hand. "Lisa. You're Kayla, right? I'm sharing Muggle Studies with you."

"Yeah. Nice to meet you," Kayla replied, shaking her hand and smiling nervously. "This is going to sound weird, but where am I meant to sit? There's a lot of seats and a lot more people and is it like set or-"

"Next to me," Lisa cut in. "It's a lot better than being stuck next to the potions master."

Kayla laughed, taking the seat beside her just as Neville announced that the carriages were on their way. On the other side of the table, James was talking to the young Divination teacher, his black robes fitting him perfectly.

"I hope Hufflepuff get some good ones this year. We haven't won the cup for ages," Lisa commented aloud.

"No wonder. You guys still have Steven Hart, don't you?" she teased, remembering the first year from when she was here. In his first month at Hogwarts he managed to lose Hufflepuff 70 points, ruining their chances of victory for another year.

Twenty minutes later and the doors burst open, revealing clusters of students. Kayla sighed, her eyes flitting from the grey sweaters to the hitched black skirts to the jumble of coloured ties.

"Settle down, settle down! The first years will be arriving soon!" Neville shouted over the noise, forcing the students to break apart and move to their appropriate tables. Just as he said, Professor Locke appeared barely five minutes later with shivering first years trailing behind. She and Lisa began trying to sort them, squabbling quietly over whether one boy would be a Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.

"Andrews, Jonathan."

The boy trembled up to the front, jumping as the hat was dropped over his head.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Unexpected," Lisa and Kayla said in unison, laughing quietly and continuing their game as the sorting went on.

"Zabini, Crystal."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Once the yellow table had settled down, Neville took his stand. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. It's lovely to see both new and old faces. However, a few important reminders. No Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes are allowed in school, let alone be used in school. The Forbidden Forest, as the name states, is forbidden. Anyone found in there without a teacher will be punished immediately. Quidditch trials will be on in the second week back, check your common room for the time and for which positions are open. Finally, I would like to welcome a new member to our staff, who has very kindly joined to help us out in an array of subjects. Give a warm welcome to Professor Kayla Smith!"

Kayla stood up shakily, waving slightly at the clapping students. A few of the seventh years recognised her from their first and cheered loudly, Steven Hart amongst them.

"Best Head Girl we've ever suffered!" he shouted loudly, forcing a blush on to her cheeks.

"With that all over, please eat."

The plates filled with food and the goblets overflowed with juice, Kayla laughing as Lisa pointed out the astonished looks on the first years faces. Before she'd managed to realise how much she'd eaten, the feast was over, and she was following the students up the stairs to her office.

"See you tomorrow at breakfast? It would be nicer than surviving on biscuits for the morning," Lisa asked.

"Sure. I think I'm teaching Quidditch first, so I'll need a little bit more to get through the day."

Lisa frowned slightly. "Looks like Potter finally got his wish."

"What to you mean?" Kayla asked, pausing at the point where she turned off.

"Just that he's been begging Neville to take the first and second years off his hands since his first year here. You must be like an angel to him."

Kayla forced a laugh and said goodnight, hurrying back to her office.

That odd feeling in her stomach was back, and it definitely wasn't in a positive mood.

* * *

><p>First years were little shits.<p>

The second Kayla commented that to Lisa when she arrived at the table for lunch, she was begged for the story. Absentmindedly cleaning the grass from under her nails, Kayla began to tell her story of woe.

She'd arrived in a good mood. The first years were all waiting patiently, eyeing her black skinny jeans and layered tops cautiously. They'd obviously been expecting full-on Quidditch robes, or just something slightly more wizard-y.

"If your right handed, place your broom on the floor to your right. If your left handed, place it on the other side. Wrong way around Davies. The tail doesn't go at the front."

Once their brooms were all on the ground and facing the right way, she told them to hold their hand above it and say "up." Three students jumped as their brooms flew straight into their hands, though only five had brooms which did nothing at all.

"Just keep on trying. If you've got it, show me how you think you'd mount a broom. Remember- no flying!"

Of course, half an hour in and one student thought that simple instructions were beyond them. With a scowl on his face, he muttered something to his friend and shot off into the air.

"Hey! Get down here now! Do you want detention on your first day? I'm sure your parents would be so proud!" Kayla shouted after him, mounting her own broom. "All of you stay here. If I see a single one of you even think of copying him, you'll be out of my lessons until Christmas. Understood?"

The boy, however cocky, wasn't used to flying in such windy weather, and was trying to push back down to the grass from his position by the goals.

"Just stay still, okay? I can charm the broom to-"

The boy began thrashing in began, crashing into the golden hoop behind him and falling. He ended with a broken arm and collarbone, and her entire class now followed her instructions to the T.

"Isn't it better though? Overall, you've got an obedient class, and the dickhead has already learnt his lesson. Job done!"

Kayla shook her head furiously. "I had to sign four forms, and write a letter to the boy's parents explaining what happened. It took six times until I wrote one which Neville found appropriate. Then, in my second lesson with the second years, one of them managed to knock out themselves and two others with their broom, and a second almost impaled me trying to do a basic circle."

"You could always ask Neville to give the lessons back to Potter. You didn't sign up for them in the first place so it shouldn't be a problem," Lisa suggested.

"I can't do that!" Kayla said, aghast. "I only have this job because of Neville. If I went to him barely halfway through my first day asking for favours he'll think I'm a-"

"You only got this job because you were the only candidate worth it. I saw all the files, Kayla. You beat them all by miles."

The bell rang, cutting off any further conversation. "It's still no. It was probably just a first day thing- once they settle in, they'll handle it fine."

But Kayla couldn't help but sense the obvious lie in her solution, a feeling which wasn't helped when she passed Potter while muttering about the bruise developing on her leg, and was almost certain she saw him smirk.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author's Note<em>**

_I am an awful person. I said I'd update regularly, and then I just...didn't. But I'm back! And I literally have no excuse to not update- I've sorted out chapter names for the songs I've got, and it's half-term! The songs are a mixture of love-themed and just songs I was listening to that I really like. I originally started with james' POV's, but it doesn't really fit throughout the whole of the story, so there may only be one or two sections like that again. Thanks for following/favouriting, and try to leave a review? :)_

_Chapter title- **History** by **This Wild Life**_


	3. Guide to Re-Entry

"So...how much do you know about muggles?"

It was the Friday of her second week at Hogwarts, and Kayla was feeling good. Her quidditch classes had only had a few more minor injuries, her students didn't hate her, and she had successfully not talked to James yet. She'd also managed to floo back to her apartment and tried to sleep there as much as possible, even eating there and flooing back to school just in time for lessons. Lisa now slept late and ate biscuits for the first few hours, complaining that Ancient Runes was by far the hardest work to mark.

"They like TV. And accents," one girl said immediately.

"They make tons of crazy shit to make up for their lack of magic," a boy at the back shouted out.

"They don't know magic exists. And their world is a lot more cultured than ours," a short girl at the front stated.

"Good start. No swearing though Jack. Who in here is related to muggles? Whether they're your parents or siblings or cousins or godparents, are you related to one?"

Just over half the class put their hands up.

"Okay. Another question. How many of you were raised as a muggle? Or partially as a muggle?"

Seven students still had their hands up.

"How many of you are muggleborns?"

Two were left. The short girl and a lanky Ravenclaw at the back.

"Okay. Just curious- I always wonder how many muggleborns take this class, as they usually think they know everything about their world. But, as a muggleborn myself, I can tell you that it's a lot different from a wizards point of view. To them the way mundane things like batteries or plugs or hairdryers fascinate them, stuff that while we use a lot, we have no clue how it works."

A few students had jotted down some of the stuff she'd been saying, one mouthing the word 'batteries' to her friend next to her.

"The biggest curiousity to wizards though, is communication. With magic, you can easily apparate straight over, or floo your head or entire body to their place, or portkey to anywhere in the world. Muggles, though, have telephones, text messaging, email, skype, facebook, twitter, youtube, snapchat, a thousand different ways to send messages or information immediately from wherever they are, to anyone across the globe. Our first lesson is going to be on the development of the phone, from it's invention to it's evolution."

Her class seemed genuinely fascinated by the detail of the phone, and Kayla resisted videoing them and sending it to her brother. He'd always been amazed by the difference between the muggle and magical worlds, and adored seeing her friends' confused faces as he explained to them random objects around the house.

The bell rang for lunch, and she dismissed them with the homework of writing a timeline for the phone from their notes.

"Professor Smith...Kayla?"

Her head shot up, eyes widening at the sight of James Potter in her classroom. A small trio of girls were still packing up, and subtly watching the interaction.

"James? What are you doing here?" she asked, repacking her bag to avoid eye contact.

"Neville wanted me to check how you were doing. He would have done it himself but he's busy with meetings so...how are you doing?"

She almost laughed at the awkwardness radiating off of him. "Just fine. A few issues with quidditch, but that's settling down. The second years had a strange notion that if they played the game wrong they'd get sent off immediately though. You wouldn't know anything about that?"

James' cheeks tinged red, his hand running through his hair awkwardly. "It started out just for the ones who would mess around, but some of them were so shit I just couldn't bare watching."

She actually laughed that time, pulling her bag over her shoulder and waking towards the door. "You've always been so bloody impatient."

The girls quickly rushed out the door in front of her, walking slowly so as to catch their final words.

"Really though Kayla. Are you doing okay?"

Kayla turned around, frowning up at him. He was a little under a foot taller, but the difference seemed larger as he looked down at her, body just inches away from hers.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be? It's been four years James. I don't need you to treat me like a china doll or anything."

The final word said, Kayla walked off towards the hall, ignoring the whispers of the girls as they rushed to the bathroom or somewhere, and ignoring the burn in her back from where James was still watching her.

* * *

><p>"He's a dick. He probably wanted you to fall at his feet, begging for another chance, proclaiming your never-dying love for him. He was the one who walked out, he should be the one who begs for another chance."<p>

Kayla hummed in agreement to Lucy's wise words. "It's like he thought I'd just be another fangirl, having minor heart attacks whenever I saw him. But no. I am a strong, independant woman. I'm not going to let him define my life! Sure, he was my first true love, but he was always my first true heartbreak, so fuck him. If I didn't get an apology then, he's not going to anything now."

"Whoo! Vodka?"

The night was turning out a good one. Since she wasn't teaching tomorrow, Kayla had allowed Lucy to get her well and truly drunk, while also blurting out the anger for her cousin.

"You know he's the reason I'm suffering those dimwitted first years on brooms?" Lucy gasped loudly. "Yeah, I know, right? Apparently he's been begging Neville to let him off working with first and second years since he joined. It's like, well if you didn't want to work with kids, why did you bother becoming a fucking teacher?"

"True words, true words. Do we have ingredients for a margherita? I really want a margherita."

"No, but we have a pizza menu somewhere. Can you settle for that?"

Lucy laughed manically, collapsing back on to the sofa. "We should get takeaway. I'm calling in takeaway."

"Anything but Chinese. I don't care how drunk I am, it doesn't make me any more MSG resistant."

Lucy shouted something back which sounded like 'spoilsport', before clattering through their cupboards to find the menus.

"Indian?"

"Korma. Don't forget naan bread!"

When she returned a few minutes later, Lucy seemed slightly sobered up. "You know James will do anything in his power to get a rise out of you now. He loved you, and his ego is so big that you saying that to him would make winning you back his top priority. He's a bit like a six-year-old-"

"A lot like a six-year-old."

"Practically a six-year-old." They giggled softly. "I just want to warn you, as my best friend. Are you sure you're prepared? Because you can say you're over it as much as you want, but I know for a fact that you don't get over something like that. James is to you what Daniel is to me, and that's impossible to get over."

Kayla smiled sadly, remembering Daniel. He was a Ravenclaw in their year who broke up with Lucy a couple of months after graduation, saying that their relationship had no future when both their lives were orientated around work. It was a truthful point, even Lucy could see that, but it didn't make the blow any less harder.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Anyway, it's Hogsmeade the Saturday before the first match. Do you want to meet up? We haven't been there since seventh year."

"I'm in. Now what the hell is taking our food so long? Doesn't that place know about apparation?"

"They're muggles Lucy."

"So? APPARATION IS A NECESSITY IN LIFE AND YOU KNOW IT! Wait, no you don't. You puke a lot."

"You'll be puking tomorrow. How much have you had to drink?"

They both laughed, the noise buzzing in the air around them, all previous serious conversations forgotten.

* * *

><p>Lucy was true to her words. For the next few weeks, Kayla suddenly found herself passing James in the corridors, suffering his constant smirks and occasional winks. At dinner he sometimes came over to her and Lisa, striking up conversations with the latter. And sometimes he had the nerve to sit in the stand while she taught <em>his<em> quidditch lessons to _his_ pupils, flaunting the fact that he had passed his suffering on to her.

It was after one of those times that Kayla finally snapped.

"Don't you have a class or something?" she shouted up to the stands. He jumped, obviously not expecting her to confront him. Her class was pausing, watching the scene with interest.

"No, it's lunch now!" he shouted back, that stupid smirk on his face again. She scowled and gave him the finger, ushering her class back up to the castle for lunch.

There was another thing she'd noticed. James, though not a popular teacher, was still popular at Hogwarts. Rumours of her and him had spread fast, and she found herself receiving glares from students she'd never even talked to. When she asked Lisa about it, she was told that James was 'the hottest catch to teach these halls since Godric Gryffindor'. During her next Muggle Studies lesson, Kayla breached the subject with the girls who'd witnessed her and James' encounter, wondering if they found it creepy that they were stalking a teacher over a decade older than them.

One replied sappily with 'age doesn't matter when it comes to love'.

Kayla had to restrain herself from pointing out that if it was love, it was extremely one-sided.

Either way, Kayla had had enough of James bloody Potter, and practically rejoiced when the Hogsmeade weekend came around.

"Kayla!"

"Lucy!" she squealed, catapulting herself at her friend. Lucy was wearing a dress and thick tights, her brown brogues hastily fastened. With a thick jacket thrown over the top, she looked perfectly Autumn-y, while Kayla was wearing thick socks, jeans, a jumper, a scarf, her leather jacket, fingerless gloves and boots suitable for hiking up a snowy mountain.

"Hi. I'm Lisa. It's nice to meet you," Lisa smiled, offering Lucy her hand. Lucy ignored it completely and pulled her into a hug, gushing over how excited she was to meet a married woman. "I'm just engaged actually, and I can't stay long. He's meeting me at Madame Puddifoot's."

Immediately Lucy and Kayla had to force their faces into smiles, hiding the look of disgust. Just the name of the place plagued Kayla with memories of fourth year dates, guys with pimples constantly trying to feel you up while shoving their tongue down your throat. Add on a meal made entirely of pink and it was a horror movie in action.

"I'll see you later," Lisa called once they reached the village, kissing them both on the cheek goodbye.

The two girls stood in silence for a few seconds, remembering the maze of streets before them. There was the quills etc. shop, Zonko's, the Three Broomsticks, multiple coffee and icecream parlour, bookshops, broom shops, hidden alleyways leading to magical jackpots. While Diagon Alley would always be bigger, nothing could beat the childishness of exploring Hogsmeade.

"Do you want to see if that weird second-hand shop is still open? We found tons of crazy shit in there last time!" Lucy exclaimed, pulling her hand gently towards one of the turn-offs.

"A new bookshop opened up a few streets that way, it's meant to be supplying muggle books as well. I was thinking about picking up some stuff for my students."

"Do that last- we know that you're going to end up buying tons and I'm not helping you carry them around for the rest of the day."

"Lucy?"

Both of them froze at the voice, turning slowly in unison.

"Yeah! It's our cousin!" Freddy laughed, pushing James forward. He smirked at Kayla from over Lucy's shoulder as him and Freddy pulled her into a bear hug. "And who's this? Jamie, it's the one that you fucked! This is the one that you fucked, right?"

There was a pregnant pause before Kayla spoke up. "You really have no filter, do you? Yeah, I'm the one he fucked, and yeah, she is your cousin."

Lucy smiled tightly, returning to her side. "It was really...great, seeing you guys I mean. But we're going to check out this shop, you wouldn't like it, so bye."

They had gotten nearly three metres away before Kayla found a tanned arm draped around her shoulders.

"Don't be silly Lucy-Lou. You're my cousin, and if you like this shop, then I'm sure I'll find it in my heart to like it too. Besides, I think it's about time I was introduced to your friend."

Lucy and Kayla stared at Freddy in shock, almost missing James' grunts from their other sides.

"You know me! We double-dated! I watched movies with you when James was at work! You painted my nails and made us popcorn!" Kayla finally shrieked, watching as recognition dawned on Freddy's puppy-like face.

"KAYLA! NO WAY! IT'S KAYLA! I liked this one," he ended with a scowl at James, who's mouth dropped open into an 'o'. "How's life been K-Dog?"

She giggled, ignoring Lucy's wonderous look. "Been alright Freddy-bear. I have this colleague though, total jackass. Forced his first and second year lessons on to me just because I'm new."

"Sounds like a right wanka. Now, where's this shop Lucy-Lou wanted to show me?"

'Lucy-Lou' let her head collapse into her hands before unwillingly showing Freddy the small thrift-style shop, Kayla looking on with a smile.

"I never knew you and Freddy were that close," James commented from behind her.

"You spend that much time at a person's house, you're bound to make some kind of bond. I haven't talked to him since...you-know, if that's what you were wondering."

"No, no!" James said loudly, hunching his shoulders as if to avoid attention. "No, I wasn't...but it would have been fine if you did, I mean...I just never realised," he finished lamely.

"I guessed," she smiled, disappearing to look at some of the trinkets, wondering if there was anything suitable to send her brother.

James stood still for a few more seconds, breathing deeply. Freddy was going to return soon from annoying Lucy. Freddy would notice if anything was wrong. So James forgot all about it and walked through the aisles, creeping up on Lucy with a 'boo' and proclaiming that the Broomsticks was waiting.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>_

_Eep, sorry, wifi has been acting up. But it's all (sorta) better now! And to thank you guys for your awesomeness, it's a double-chapter day! I'm so nice ;)_

_Chapter title- **A Lunar Veteran's Guide to Re-Entry** by _Paul Thomas Saunders


	4. Two Worlds Away

"So...K-Dog."

Kayla sighed, turning around to face his smirk. She was on her way to prepare the pitch for her lesson after lunch, and James had once again intercepted her.

"Yeah. Why are you so hung up on the fact that me and Freddy had nicknames?"

"Have nicknames. And I'm not hung up on it. I just can't remember a single time that you two used those nicknames around me."

She sighed again, hurrying down the stairs to the door. "That's because you were barely ever around. All day you were at practise, and all night Freddy was...somewhere. Besides, it's weird to refer to someone as their nickname in a conversation where they're not present, unless the person you're having the conversation with uses it too."

James hummed in response, his hand hovering over her back as they made their way across the icy tiles. Somewhere in the past two days the temperature had dropped and they were left with patchy ice and air that was so cold Quidditch was practically impossible.

"I just thought I'd tell you that Freddy doesn't usually do that with people outside the family, let alone a girlfriend of mine. Like, make up nicknames and paint nails and stuff. He must have liked you a lot."

Kayla looked up at his face, trying to understand what he was hinting at. "Freddy was just my friend because I was your girlfriend. The second we broke up, he immediately sided with you. It wasn't a break-up where he could choose both. Sure, I missed him and his general aura of...Freddyness, but letting you go meant letting go everything related to you as well."

"Except for Lucy."

"Lucy was mine long before she was yours," she smiled dryly. "You guys never got along because of her dad being a grade 1 douchebag, and you guys assuming she was just like him and Molly and Audrey. Which she's not."

"No," James said faintly. "She's a Healer, isn't she? She seems like she would be good at it."

"She is. She's training to become one of those high-standard Super-Healers. The ones who earn shitloads and save lives 24/7."

"Wow."

They'd reached the edge of the pitch now. Kayla turned to him, wondering why he'd bothered to walk the whole way down here. "Are you going to sit in the stands again and laugh at what you finally got rid of?"

He laughed loudly, looking out across the pitch. "Nah, I'm meeting with Neville in a bit. Maybe next time...Kayla?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't actually think I'm a jackass who dumped his responsibilities on you just because you were new?"

She smiled, pushing her hair back to stop it fluttering into her eyes. "No. Just a jackass."

He smiled back faintly, walking back to the castle just as the bell rang. Kayla sighed, setting up the pitch as fast as she could before her class arrived.

"Okay guys! Today I want to test your knowledge of the actual game, so we're going to play a version of it on the ground. That means no brooms. The Quaffle's still the Quaffle, these jellyball things are the bludgers- they won't hurt if they hit you, but still avoid them, and if all goes well I might even release a snitch! Okay? Teams!"

* * *

><p>"Let the game begin!" the commentator shouted into their mic, followed by a gigantic roar from the crowd. It was the first match of the season, and the crowd was donned in scarlet and emerald. Kayla, Lisa and Lucy were all wrapped up in red in the teacher's stands, Lisa glaring at them huffingly.<p>

"What was so wrong with my yellow scarf? I like the colour yellow!"

"You can't wear a Hufflepuff scarf to a Gryffindor-Slytherin match, especially not when you're a teacher. You have to choose a side, you can't just back out entirely," Lucy said seriously, even though she'd been the one to point out that none of the other teacher's were wearing House scarves. Apparently taking sides wasn't 'encouraging', though everyone knew who Neville was rooting for.

From the corner of her eyes Kayla could see James sitting in between Professor Locke and the divination teacher, his red scarf standing out against their plain black.

"Gryffindor scores the first goal! 10-0 to the lions!"

Kayla stood up and screamed, laughing as Lucy dragged Lisa up with her. "Gryffindor, Gryffindor! Hear us roar, watch us score! Gryffindor, Gryffindor! There's no one else worth cheering for!" Lucy shouted. Kayla remembered the drunken chant her and Daniel had made up after her first game in fifth year.

"Looks like the teachers are getting pretty into this match, Smith and Potter especially!"

She glanced over to see James practically in the same position- stood up, hand clapping, cheering loudly. He'd turned and caught her eye too, and she smiled cautiously. He grinned back.

"So you two are getting along okay?" Lucy asked once they'd settled back down. Lisa now knew everything about James and Kayla's previous relationship, and had declared that it just solidified her idea that he was an egotistic buttface.

"I think so. He's stopped watching my quidditch lessons and smirking so much."

"Another goal for Gryffindor! Slytherin had really better up their game if they want a chance for the cup this year!"

"That's good. Freddy was asking after you when he and his family came over on Wednesday."

"Aww," Kayla grinned, her eyes following the game as the quaffle was carried into Gryffindor territory. "What was he saying?"

The pause in conversation told her that Lucy and Lisa had just exchanged a look, but since she wasn't looking at the look she couldn't tell what sort of look it was and therefore couldn't conclude whether to be worried or not when Lucy began her next sentence.

"Kayla...would you ever consider dating Freddy?"

It felt like the whole world had silenced. She could still hear the roar of the crowd as the Gryffindor keeper blocked a Slytherin goal, could still hear the wind rushing past her ears. But suddenly her pulse was in her head and Lucy's words were ringing around in time with it.

"What...why would you want to know that?" she coughed out, facing them. Her hands had dropped but the crowd still cheered. She didn't remember who'd scored.

"It's not that he was asking!" Lucy amended hurriedly. "He just recounted a story or two, and you haven't been on a date in a while, so...it was just a suggestion. If you'd find it too weird, I'll just leave it."

They turned back to the game as another goal was scored ("40-10 to Gryffindor, and still no signs of the snitch! Ouch, that's gotta hurt. Gryffindor seeker smashed by a bludger, don't worry, it wasn't his catching arm. Belle's got the quaffle and-"), but Kayla wasn't paying attention anymore. She loved Freddy, but she didn't _like_ him. He'd been like a younger brother to her, ever since he appeared with a plate of nachos and asked if she wanted to just stay until he arrived.

Unintentionally, her eyes drifted to her right. And met with James'. He smiled, turning back to the game, but she couldn't help but wonder if he'd heard any of that. If he'd even care.

* * *

><p>"230-40! Slytherin got smashed!" Lucy rejoiced loudly back in her office. Lisa laughed at her, pouring them each two shots of firewhisky.<p>

"It was a pretty good game. Did you see that wronski feint from the Gryffindor seeker? How the Slytherin guy's arm just-"

"Eurgh, don't," Lisa moaned. "I'm going to be hearing that noise for the rest of my life. Can't believe he just kept on playing!"

Lucy snorted, jabbing her finger towards where Kayla was sitting. "Her. Seventh year. Final game. She was their Keeper and unofficial co-captain, but thirty minutes in Ravenclaw tried to score. That would have evened them out, so obviously she had to stop it, but then one of the beaters sent a bludger towards her. If she caught the ball, she'd be hit. If she didn't, she risked the game. She caught the ball, got hit by the bludger, and played for another three hours with two broken ribs, a fractured wrist and splinters everywhere. She almost passed out four times."

Kayla laughed at Lisa's astonished face. Her captain Luke had flown straight to her when the snitch was caught and ran her all the way to the hospital wing, her half-unconscious most the way there. "We won though, so it was totally worth it."

"Weren't you worried about permanent damage? Punctured lungs? Pain?" Lisa listed, her voice getting higher every time Kayla and Lucy smiled and shook their heads. "You were really fucked up."

Lisa left an hour or three later, leaving Lucy and Kayla to sober up and prepare for the floo back. In the silence Lucy whispered something.

"Whaddya say?" Kayla yawned.

"I said...would you? If Freddy asked you out, would you say yes?"

"No," she replied decisively. "He was a best friend to me when you were studying and James was working. No matter how hot, it would feel...incesty."

Lucy laughed. "But dating his cousin isn't incesty?"

"You know what I mean," Kayla sighed, rolling her eyes. Lucy nodded.

"I get it, trust me, I get it. I haven't had it, but I get it. BUT-" Kayla groaned, "shut up Kayla, what if he asked you out unromantically? Like a friends reunion things?"

"We wouldn't go out," Kayla said slowly, thinking it through. "All we ever did was stay at his apartment and watch crappy movies and complain about the crappiness of them. Going outside would be...weird."

"Okay!" Lucy bounced up, her eyes shining with excitement. "Invite him over to watch a movie. Rekindle the friendship! It'll be totally awesome!"

Kayla sat up, frowning at her. "Lucy...why are you so keen for me and Freddy to be friends again? What's going on?"

Her best friend sighed, the excitement disappearing from her. "I'm going away for a while."

At this Kayla sat upright, the fatigue that had been settling over her gone. "What do you mean, you're going away? You've got work, and studying, and lives to save! Why...where would you...Lucy?" The last note sounded pathetic even to herself, desperation clinging at each word. It was like a mantra- don't be what I think, don't be what I think, just don't be leaving.

"It's part of the studying!" Lucy carried on. She refused to catch her eyes. "It's a six-month-course abroad, starting in January. Me and a few older Healers will travel to places and learn different healing techniques and pass on our own...it will be a serious jump start to my career."

Kayla gulped down the lump in her throat. "How long have you been planning this?"

Just by Lucy's reaction she could tell the answer. Guilt flashed across her face, her previously dramatically moving hands frozen. "August. It's been in basic planning since August, but it was only made definite two weeks ago."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, wiping away something from her face. Was she crying? Why was she crying? What reason did she have to cry? Her best friend was going away to fulfil her dreams, just like she did hers! Why was she crying?

"Because...because...I don't know."

Lucy must have carried on talking, but Kayla switched off then. She didn't know? She didn't know what? She didn't know if she wanted to go, or she didn't know how she'd react? If she would ever tell her? The only reason she just told her was because Kayla caught her out on her over enthusiasm towards her and Freddy's friendship!

"When would you have told me?" she asked, her words cold and sharp. Lucy cut off her babbling, freezing once more. Kayla dropped her head into her hands, understanding completely.

"Kayla-"

"I'll see you later. I have some assignments I should really start marking, and you have an early shift tomorrow. You should go." Kayla said, looking her in the eyes. Lucy nodded slowly, offering a final 'I'm sorry' and disappearing. Kayla didn't move until she was sure the only heart pounding in the room was hers.

Instead of breaking down, or marking some assignments, Kayla did what she always did. She put on her pajamas and traced her way back to the kitchens, sitting calmly at what would be the Gryffindor table.

"Miss Kayla? Are you okay?" Minky asked, placing a bowl of icecream on to the table next to her. Kayla couldn't remember ordering it, or ordering anything for that matter.

"Not really," she smiled, all watery. Sniffing the feeling away, she turned to face Minky with a proper smile on her face. "Got any good stories for me?"

Minky's face lit up. "Last week, some third years came down here, and were complaining about a Professor Charlotte May and her cryptic messages, and how it was unfair that she gave them low marks just because she didn't think they had 'the Sight'. And yesterday, a sixth year came it at one and ate two buckets of ice cream, complaining about Steven the Hart-less..."

While Kayla could have sworn she heard the door to the kitchens open and shut then, she dismissed it that morning as sleep deprivation when she woke up asleep on the Gryffindor bench, an empty icecream bowl above her head.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>_

_Haha! Enjoy this til my next update. Would like to thank chel123, julesss, FredMischiefmanagedGeorge and the guest who left reviews, as well as all you lovely people who have favourited/followed. It's awesome to know you guys are enjoying it :)_

_Chapter title- **Two Worlds Away **by _Nina Nesbitt


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